MOLASSES. 



Geerligs reviews the results of earlier investigators. Marschall 8 determined 

 the effect of the presence of salts that occur in beet molasses on the solubility 

 of sugar ; he found that sugar was more soluble in the presence of either 

 acetate, butyrate, carbonate or citrate of potash, but that all other salts had no 

 effect, or diminished the solubility. Felz 9 adhered to the mechanical theory, 

 holding that the viscidity of molasses prevented crystallization; this 

 mechanical theory is not accepted by Geerligs who found that the maximum 

 amount of sugar crystallized out from solutions made thick with glue or 

 agar-agar, the viscosity being much greater than in molasses. 



Gunning 4 formed artificial molasses by admixture of pure sugar and 

 solutions of alkaline organic salts ; he found that potash salts formed with 

 sugar syrupy combinations which did not crystallize, and deduced the formation 

 of a saccharate of potash; he gave 6-1 as the molasses-forming coefficient of 

 potash, i.e., one part of potash (as KOH) prevents 6'1 parts sugar from 

 crystallizing; for acetate of potash the figure would be 1-5 allowing only half 

 the potash to affect the sugar, the other portion remaining as an acid salt. 



It had been previously stated by nearly all writers that glucose was 

 melassigenic; the coefficient had been placed by Pellet 10 at 0'60, by Flourens 11 

 at between 0*30 and 1-0, Degener 12 declaring that glucose had no direct 

 melassigenic property but that the acid products of its decomposition inverted 

 sugar. Geerligs made a series of experiments to test this statement. As a 

 source of glucose he used honey in which the dextrose and levulose are present 

 in about the same proportion as in molasses ; he thus was able to prepare a 

 series of solutions in which the water and sugar were constant but the glucose 

 varied from nothing up to 25 grms. ; the sugar present was always 25 grms. 

 and the water 7'5 grms. It was found that the sugar crystallizing out was 

 always the same and that the glucose had no effect and hence was not 

 melassigenic. Geerligs next tried the effect of the presence of acetate of 

 potash and the combined effect of this salt and glucose ; he found that one 

 part of acetate of potash per 25 of sugar had no effect, with two parts the 

 effect was noticeable, and was very marked with five parts ; but when one part 

 acetate of potash and ten parts glucose were present per 25 parts sugar the 

 combined effect was anti-melassigenic, i.e., more sugar crystallized out than 

 from water alone, and it was not till five parts acetate of potash and ten parts 

 glucose were present that the combined effect was melassigenic. In later 

 papers on the subject Geerligs returns to the effect of glucose on the crystalliza- 

 tion of sugar and suggests that glucose forms with organic potassium salts 

 easily soluble syrupy bodies which absorb water and render the proportion of 

 sugar to water lower than normal; this point is entirely supported by his 

 analyses when the ratio of glucose to alkalinity of the ash as potash is 

 considered, the alkalinity of the ash as potash being a measure of the organic 

 salts present, such a salt as acetate of potash giving on incineration carbonate 



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